The Blender Girl Review, Recipe and Giveaway

“Hi, my name is Tess and I am a blendaholic” says Tess Masters, aka, The Blender Girl of the wildly popular website of the same name. Tess just released her first cookbook, also titled The Blender Girl.

As you’d expect from the title, there are plenty of blended beverages in this user friendly book, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to continue to chew your food! There are also recipes for as staples like dips, sauces, and condiments that can transform a simple plate of steamed vegetables, a salad, sandwiches, or other “sink your teeth into it” foods from bland to brilliant. Recipes for savory dishes include Fresh Spring Rolls with Orange-Almond Sauce, Twisted Caesar Pleaser, Spicy Chickpea Burgers with Portobello Buns and Greens, and I-Love-Veggies! Bake. Her desserts are out of this world, with recipes for such treats as Chocolate-Chile Banana Spilly, Flourless Triple-Pecan Mousse Pie, and Chai Rice Pudding.

The recipes are definitely easy to make, foolproof when you follow Tess’s clear directions, and they are delicious, but I was surprised–in a good way– by the amount of food education found in the book. Nut-milk cheat sheets, soaking and sprouting charts, nutrient guides, and resources for finding ingredients are all in the book. While Tess uses the gold-standard Vitamix blenders, the book lists and compares other brands, including those that are considerably expensive. Tess assures that any blender will successfully make the recipes in her book.

If you’ve seen Tess do a demo as I have—wow–you know she is a woman who exudes health,vitality, and enthusiasm. Her book, The Blender Girl, is like having Tess cheering you on in your kitchen.

As I make desserts nearly everyday, I am always on the lookout for healthy fruit and veg heavy blended drinks. I was drawn to the Anti-oxidant Avenger by the recipe’s name alone, but the photograph of this jewel tone beverage sealed the deal. I made it and trusted Tess’s promise: “Every recipe can easily be adjusted to your personal taste: add an extra squeeze of this, another handful of that, or leave something out altogether— my recipes are super easy and forgiving, so you can’t mess them up.” I did not have macqui in my pantry so I used a teaspoon of maca instead. The beverage was delicious and good for me.

PreparationThrow everything into your blender and puree on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Tweak the sweetness to taste.Tess has been kind enough to give me a book to share with a lucky reader. To enter to win, follow the instructions below. Good luck!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from The Blender Girl by Tess Masters, copyright (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC.

I love a good, green smoothie with lots of kale, some spinach, a banana and coconut water. It’s pretty plain jane, but does the job. Sometimes I get a little fancy with it and throw in some sunbutter or cacao nibs. ;]

I love to make a variety of smoothies, but I’m looking for new ideas. I make mine with non-dairy milk (I rotate different kinds, but I like almond the best), powdered green tea, Amazing Meal, kale, frozen bananas, frozen berries, and a small slice of ginger.

My 4 year old son is fruit mad but having difficulty persuading him to eat most vegetables. I make a smoothie with avocado, spinach, beetroot, carrot and blend it with water and a bit of apple juice to make it more palatable. He loves drinking it and, as he helps me to make it sometimes, he’s also fully aware of what’s going in. The bright pink colour from the beetroot probably helps (his favourite colour)!

Is this open internationally? Anyway, the avenger looks so yum! My favourite blended drink is a smoothie with frozen cucumber, papaya and zucchini. Sometimes smoothies can be too overloaded with fruit so the frozen cucumber & zucchini help to balance it out. 🙂

Buying a powerful blender last year was one of my best decisions ever! I’ve been blending non-stop this summer, I love drinking fresh and healthy smoothies after an intense workout. 🙂
I did a simple mango-banana smoothie yesterday and it was delicious! 1 ripe mango, 2 medium ripe bananas, 2/3 cups nondairy milk and a small handful of ice cubes.

It can be difficult to find truly indulgent vegan desserts—especially chocolate. But for the first time, chocolate cakes, brownies, truffles, puddings, ice creams, and more are within reach: dairy-free, organic, fair-trade, and sublime.
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